For those wondering whether the NHL and NHL Players Association might be able to avoid a labour stoppage next season, well, the answer may be self-evident now.

They’re already not getting along.

The league, because of its inability to forge a deal with the union, has been forced to abandon its recently announced realignment plans for next season. That may or may not be a moot point, given that the current collective agreement expires after this season and the prospects for beginning play on schedule next season appear at best problematic and at worst unlikely.

Those realignment plans were announced in early December, a change to a four-conference scheme that appeared to fit the needs of the vast majority of clubs. For that, the Maple Leafs would have moved into a new grouping with Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, Buffalo, Florida and Tampa Bay. The impetus for the rearranged format was the move of Atlanta to Winnipeg this season, which left the new Jets in the Southeast Division for this season.

When the board of governors approved the new alignment, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman specifically avoided putting a timeline on the change because the league needed the “consent” of the players association. Well, as it turns out, the NHLPA has declined to give that consent, either because it had significant concerns or because it wanted to convert realignment into a CBA issue next summer.

Theoretically, the league could have gone ahead anyway, and then let the union grieve the issue. But it chose not to, putting realignment on hold until a new CBA is negotiated.

“They wanted to bargain over something that our CBA doesn’t give them a right to bargain over,” said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly.

The union had some concerns, particularly added travel burdens on the players and an alleged disparity in ability to achieve playoff bonuses because two of the new conferences were to have seven teams and two were to have eight.

The NHL alleges that the union was given ample time to state its concerns and discuss them, but declined to do so.

Who’s telling the truth? Who knows? But clearly we’re into a CBA negotiation environment now, and with new NHLPA head Don Fehr looking to establish a new attitude and philosophy after the disastrous internal infighting that followed the last lockout seven years ago, relations between the league and the union are already off to an rocky start.

With many believing the NHL will follow the example of other leagues and look to chop the players’ share of annual revenues from 57 per cent to 50 per cent or less, the waters were already stormy enough to suggest that getting next season started on time was going to be difficult.

The stalemate on realignment, however, is the first concrete piece of evidence that suggests the working relationship isn’t particularly positive or constructive.

The league believes the union never had any intention of dealing with possible problems created by the proposed realignment, but simply wanted to drag its feet and use the issue to as a poker chip.

“It is unfortunate that the NHLPA has unreasonably refused to approve a Plan that an overwhelming majority of our Clubs voted to support, and that has received such widespread support from our fans and other members of the hockey community, including Players,” Daly said in the league’s official statement.

The realignment plan wasn’t perfect, but it was a bold, exciting change that promised at least one visit to every arena by every team, a concept many in the industry have pushed for.

In a statement, Fehr said the union asked to see a draft schedule to better understand how realignment would affect players, but that the NHL “did not want to enter into such a dialogue.”

“Players’ questions about travel and concerns about the playoff format have not been sufficiently addressed; as such, we are not able to provide our consent to the proposal at this time,” said Fehr.

Too bad, because realignment was an intriguing change already in the minds of fans, and because this not only scuttles that plan but also puts a dark cloud over the relationship between the league and union at a time when hockey fans don’t want to hear of the possibility the NHL may shut down again.

Sadly, a new hockey war has started, one that won’t be fought on the ice.

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